Folding chair



M. MENDELSON.

FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED APH.13.1921.

04,537, Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

INV IV Max Mendelso: TOR

UNITED STATES MAX MENDELSON, OF NEW YORK,

PATENT OFFICE.

FOLDING- CHAIR.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, MAX MnNDnLsoN, a citizen of the Republic of Russia,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FoldingChairs, of which the following is specification.

This invention relates to improvements in folding chairs in which twopairs of pivotally joined supports or legs are capable of collapsing soas to fold a divided seat into substantial alignment with the legs.

The object of this invention is to provide an eliic-iently operatingdevice of this character, wherein the members may be folded to occupy asmall space.

il further object of this invention is to provide suitable supportingelements for a divided seat member, whereby the latter is prevented fromaccidentally collapsing while in its extended position.

The invention consists in the structural features and combinations ofparts fully described, with reference to the accompanying drawing,wherein- Fig. 1, is a perspective view of the folding chair with partsshown broken away to disclose the angle guides and the connecting link.

Fig. 2, is a substantially cross sectional view through the chair -inits extended position. y

F ig. 3, is view similar to that shown in Fig. 27 except that the chairis in its folded position.

Fig. 1, is a detail perspective on an enlarged scale showing theconnecting link ybetween the oppositely extending angle pieces of theseat.

Referring to the drawing 10 and 11 denote the two pairs of supportinglegs, said legs being preferably constructed of flat metal stock. lThelegs of each pair cross each other at 12 where they are pivotedtogether. This construction provides a substantially X shaped supportingstructure for a divided seat 13. The legs of each pair are connected tothe opposite legs near their lower ends by means of tie-bars lll. Theupper' ends of the two pairs of legs are connected by guide rods 15 and16. The guide rods 15 and 16 are in substantially the same plane witheach other throughout all of their movements.

The seat 18 comprises forward and rear- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

serial No. 461,023.

. Asections 19 and 2O respectively, said tions boing cach provided withangle pieces 21 secured to the underside of the sections adjacent theirside edges. Each angle piece 21 has a slotted depending flange 22, theslots of the flanges on each seat section being opposite and parallel toeach other. The opposite parallel slots in the lianges 22 of the forwardsection 19 are adapted to receive the guide rod 15; and the oppositeparallel slots in the flanges 22 of the rearward section 2O are adaptedto receive the guide rod 16. Stop lugs 23 are carried by the under faceof angle pieces 21 and are located adjacent the inner end of each flange22. rthese lugs 23 are in the path of movement of the guide rods 15 and16.

Pivotally connected to the inner ends of the flanges 22 is asubstantially T shaped link 2l provided with pivot pins 25 and 26 aboutwhich said angle pieces turn. 'The stem of the T shaped link 2lis bentinwardly at right angles to the body of said link to provide a flange24-a which underlies and supports the abutting inner edges of thesections of the seat 13 when the latter is in its extended position.Intermediate the length of the link 24 and beneath the flange 2l is athird pivot pin 27 which receives one end of a supporting brace 28.The'opposit@ end of the brace 28 is pivoted on a pivot pin 29 carried bythe forward member of the pair of legs. The supporting brace 28 isdisposed at an angle when the seat is in extended position and supportsthe link 2a against downward pressure by establishing a triangular trussbetween the link and two'points on the forward leg of tno chair. Theupper end of the brace 28 is cutaway slig itly to receive the innerlower corner of the flange 22 carried by the forwrfl section 19. lVeightapplied to the scat will bring this corner member into contact with thecut away portion of 28 so that ld support for the seat 13 may beestablicher-. ln order that the downward pressure may be equalized asupporting brace 28 is provided on each side of the chair.

The operation of folding this chair will be best understood withreference to Figs. 2 and 3, in connection with the followingdescription. To fold the chair to its closed position it is simplynecessary to cause the legs of each pair to swing towards one anotherabout the pivots 12. By this operation the seat sections will moverearwardly as a unit and in a horii lo zontal plane and the guide rod 16will traverse the length of the slot 22 until the stop lug 23 isengaged, whereupon, they distance between the guide rod and theconnecting link 24s has shortened sufficiently to compel the section toswing about the guide rod 16 and pivot pin 25 until-the lower edge ofthe slotted portion of the angle piece engages the rear edge of thebrace 28. The movement of the section 20 is then completed and the guiderod 15 has traversed its guide slots 22 substantialli7 Vhalf of itslength permitting the section'19 to remain horizontal.

Vthe brace 28.' The sections 19 and 2O will,

when completely folded as shown in Fig. 3, be in substantial parallelrelation to the legs.

Yhen the chair is in its extended position andV weight is applied to theseat 13, there will be a tendenc7 for the central portion to sag. Butdue to the peculiar construction of l the T shaped connecting link 24the adjacent inner edges of the sections 19 and 20 are supported uponflange 9A of the link 24. To

` further support the seat 13 the inclined supporting. braces 28 tend tof'orce the members of each pair of' legs further apart. This eX- erts anoutward pull at the ends of the sections 19 and 2O and which pull willaid in maintaining the seat in a horizontal position lwhen the latter isextended.

l'claimf- 1. A. foldingchair, Vcomprising pairs of pivotally7interconnected legs, a sectional seat supported b v said legs, linkspivot-ally connecting the inner ends of said sections tol gether, andVmeans supporting said links which when said legs are collapsed the seetions of said seat will first move rearwardly as a unit and willthereafter move towards each other about opposite ends of said links tolie arallel to said legs.

2. folding chair, comprising ,pairs of pivotally interconnected legs, asectional seat The final movement of the guide rod 15 towards thesupported by said legs and comprising forward and rearward sectionspivotally linked together, and means whereby when said legs arecollapsed the seat will be first moved rearwardly substantially thelength of the rearward section and then the sections will move towardeach other to lie in substantial parallel relation with the legs.

3. A folding chair, comprising parallel pairs of crossed legs pivotallyinterconnected together, guide rods connecting the upper ends ofparallel legs, a sectional seat compris ingy forward and rearwardsections pivotally linked together, slotted parallel flanges carried byeach section and adapted to receive said guide rods, and meanssupporting the central portion ofsaid seat when the latter' is inextended position and moving the seat as a unit towards the rear whenthe legsv are Vcollapsed so as to cause the guide rods to traverse thelength of the slotted flanges whereupon the sections will move towardeachother about the guide rods to fold into substantial parallelrelation with the legs.

l. A folding chair, comprising pairs of pivotally interconnected legs, asectional seat supported by saidl legs and comprisingrf'orward andrearward sections, a 'l' shaped link pivotally connecting the inneredges of' said sections and provided with a supporting flange adapted toreceive the abuttingY edges ofl the sections when'the latter are inextend-V ed position, and means pivotally connecting the. T shaped linkwith one leg so that downward pressure on said seat will tend to furtherseparate the legs.

A folding chair, comprising parallel pairs of pivotally interconnectedlegs, guide rods connecting the upper ends of each pair of legs, asectional seat provided with parallel slotted flanges adapted to receivesaid guide rods, lugs carried by said seat and iocated in the path ofmovement of said guide rods, and means wherebyv when the legs arecollapsed, the sections will firstinove rearwardly until the lugs areengaged bytheguide rods and will thereafter move towards each otheraboutsaid guide rods to lie` parallel to said legs. Y

ln testimony whereof I affix mv signature.

MAX MnNnnLsoN.

loo

